Friday August 21, 2009, 3:15 am
Action taken. Thanks Ben.

Thank you for taking action

Thank you for speaking out. We understand that you are busy, and we appreciate your time and effort.

Friday August 21, 2009, 3:18 am
Action previously taken. Thank you Ben.

Friday August 21, 2009, 4:12 am
Thank you for speaking out. We understand that you are busy, and we appreciate your time and effort.

Friday August 21, 2009, 8:35 am

Happily took action.

Kudos, dear Bengt, for your steadfast support of Aung San Suu Kyi and other Myanmar prisoners!

Friday August 21, 2009, 8:44 am
Thank You!
The fact is that Aung San Suu Kyi was elected for President 1990; think about it!
Maybe I should explain why I insist on calling the country Burma;
it was the bloody Junta that named it "Myanmar".
Democratic Voice of Burma:
http://english.dvb.no/

Friday August 21, 2009, 8:48 am
ASEAN urge Suu Kyi appeal! (Democratic Voice of Burma, August 21)
Senior ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to urge regional foreign ministers to appeal to Burma for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, following talks in Jakarta.

The meeting follows international outcry over Suu Kyi’s sentencing last week to a further 18 months under house arrest, which will keep her in detention beyond the elections next year.
If the appeal is approved, it would mark a break with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) much criticized policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states.
"We need to convey our legitimate concerns over the case of Aung San Suu Kyi,” Imron Cotan, Indonesia's delegate at the Jakarta meeting, told Reuters.
“Be it in the form of a letter or joint statement it's up to the foreign ministers to decide."

ASEAN, which is currently chaired by Thailand, has delivered little more than vocal condemnation of Suu Kyi’s sentencing.
But with Burma’s growing reputation as the thorn in the side of the regional bloc, Thailand expressed fear soon after the trial that the pariah state was “tarnishing” the bloc’s image.
The sentencing of Suu Kyi triggered a toughening of sanctions on Burma from the European Union, while the United States recently renewed its embargo on the country.
ASEAN however has consistently refused to issue sanctions, instead opting for a policy of engagement with the regime.

Continued trade with its neighbours, particularly China, has dampened the impact of sanctions. This has been acknowledged by the US, which is in the process of reviewing its policy to Burma.
While a number of Southeast Asian countries are apparently growing impatient with the intransigence of the military junta, there is expected to be resistance over the appeal from member countries such as Laos and Vietnam.

Friday August 21, 2009, 1:09 pm
Noted and action taken, thank you.

Friday August 21, 2009, 8:53 pm
Noted & action taken ~ Thanks Ben

Saturday August 22, 2009, 5:39 am
"Than Shwe Should Be the First to Blink"
As Burma’s state-run media continues to call on Washington to lift sanctions following the highly publicized visit of pro-engagement US Senator Jim Webb, a Western diplomat close to US officials says it is now up to the Burmese regime to make the next move.
"I don’t think the US will be the first to blink" (Than Shwe)
Than Shwe should be the one to blink now,” said the Bangkok-based diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He said that Than Shwe needs to demonstrate that he is genuinely interested in political dialogue by releasing Burma’s 2,100 political prisoners and allowing international monitors to ensure that next year’s election is credible.

So far, however, the regime in Burma hasn’t done anything to suggest that it wants to make political progress in the country, he said.
“Tangible and meaningful actions are needed, not just words,” he told The Irrawaddy.
During his visit to Burma last weekend, Webb—who is also the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs—met with both Than Shwe and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

He also secured the release of American John William Yettaw, who had just been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for swimming to Suu Kyi’s lakeside home.
Suu Kyi, who had been put on trial for allowing Yettaw to stay overnight to recover from muscle cramps, received a three-year prison sentence that was immediately reduced to 18 months under house arrest.
“If they are serious about the new relationship with the US, they should commute Suu Kyi’s sentence completely and free her immediately,” said the Western diplomat.

After Webb’s visit, dissidents both inside and outside of Burma began to speculate about whether the US was going to shift its policy. However, given the ongoing political stalemate, Washington is not likely to make any major changes in its Burma policy, the diplomat said.
To be continued:
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16623

Saturday August 22, 2009, 5:42 am
Elections could take Burma ‘in unexpected directions’ . (Democratic Voice of Burma)
The elections in Burma next year will herald a complete transformation of the country’s political landscape, with an opportunity to influence Burma’s future direction, says a think tank report.
While many Burma observers have criticised the looming elections as a means to entrench military rule, an International Crisis Group (ICG) report, Myanmar: Toward the elections, says the outcome is unpredictable.
The elections, scheduled for March next year, are “significant because the controversial constitution on which they are based involves a complete reconfiguration of the political structure”, says the report.

The introduction of a presidential system and fourteen regional governments constitutes the “most wide-ranging shake-up in a generation”, it says.
The constitution, ratified in May 2008 only weeks after cyclone Nargis hit Burma, appears to guarantee 25 per cent of parliamentary seats to the military even prior to voting.
The government claimed that 92 per cent of the Burmese population backed the constitution, although reports of voter intimidation and vote rigging have been documented.

“The change will not inevitably be for the better, but it offers an opportunity to influence the future direction of the country,” says ICG.
“Ultimately, even assuming that the intention of the regime is to consolidate military rule rather than begin a transition away from it, such processes often lead in unexpected directions.”
Last week’s sentencing of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 18 months under house arrest means she will not be able to participate in the elections, with many seeing her trial as a ploy to ensure this.

The sentencing “further undermined what little credibility the [elections] may have had,” said the report, adding however that “All stakeholders should be alert to opportunities that may arise to push the new government toward reform and reconciliation”.
Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) today agreed to urge regional foreign ministers to appeal to the Burmese junta for the release of Suu Kyi, marking a break with its policy of non-interference in internal affairs of member countries.

Saturday August 22, 2009, 6:30 am
signed thanks ben

Saturday August 22, 2009, 7:42 am
Gosh how much is it going to take... we need to put a bomb under this governments butt and pull the toggle switch... are they to ashamed that they can't let a WOMEN go...

Saturday August 22, 2009, 11:20 am
TY Ben

Sunday August 23, 2009, 1:43 am
One year ago: “The UN mission has been a complete failure"
http://www.care2.com/news/member/140535861/867956

Sunday August 23, 2009, 5:56 am
Avaaz.Org. Democracy Campaigning in Burma:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_report_back/